1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a service processing apparatus and a service processing method. In particular, the invention relates to a service processing apparatus and a service processing method that are suitable for use in a work flow system that construct a work flow by electronizing a paper document.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, composite machines have been proposed in which facsimile, scanner, and printer functions are incorporated in a copier. Composite machine of this type enable cooperation between paper-based office work using a copier, a facsimile machine, etc. and processing on an electronized document that is performed on a personal computer. More specifically, it becomes possible to scan a paper document and transfer resulting document data to a personal computer and to send a document received by a facsimile machine to a personal computer in the form of image data as received without printing out the document.
It is desirable that an electronized document of a paper document or a facsimile-received document be subjected automatically to many cooperative procedures and processes. To this end, conventionally, techniques have been proposed in which job templates are prepared in advance that describe desired settings for items to be set in a composite machine. A job template is designated and a process is executed after changing the setting values if necessary.
For example, in a conventional image forming apparatus disclosed in JP-A-10-83263 (pages 5-7 and FIGS. 2 and 5 ), plural output setting data (job templates) that define output formats are stored and an image can be formed and output in an output format according to selected output setting date.
However, in the above image forming apparatus, the subject of setting is only the “output format”, that is, only the function of the apparatus itself. Therefore, with this image forming apparatus, setting cannot be made for another apparatus such as a printer or a scanner that is connected to a network or cooperation between plural processes. This naturally raises a problem that plural processes cannot be executed efficiently by setting their processing order etc.